44 The Sugar-Beet in America 



from a sand to a clay. A coarse sand is not good because 

 it does not hold sufficient water, and it is not usually strong 

 in available plant-food. A clay is not the best, since it 

 does not furnish the root a medium in which to expand 

 readily. It is, moreover, not adapted to the great amount 

 of working necessary in beet-raising. A medium loam 

 is, on the whole, most satisfactory. It should be deep 

 enough to allow an easy penetration of the feeding 

 roots. 



A fuller discussion of the relation of beets to the soil 

 is given in Chapter V. 



ECONOMIC CONDITIONS 



Competition with other crops. 



Many districts adapted to the culture of beets do not 

 produce them because beets cannot compete with other 

 crops in these sections. Some of these crops yield greater 

 returns to the acre and will, as a result, shut out beets in 

 districts where land is limited and the highest returns 

 must be secured. Other crops, because they use little 

 labor, prevent beets from getting a foothold where labor 

 is the limiting factor. 



Beets would thrive in many of the districts that grow 

 truck crops near large cities, but greater returns are ob- 

 tained from the latter than could be had from beets. 

 Likewise, many orchard districts give a return to the 

 acre of land with which beets cannot compete. Attempts 

 have been made to introduce sugar-beets into the corn- 

 belt, but corn is so well adapted to these regions that no 

 competing crop has been able to displace it. Beets re- 



